I'm in the middle of X-Factor #66 right now, working through #65–68 to read the whole Endgame storyline, and it's been an amazing read so far. I want to talk about Apocalypse's…

I'm in the middle of X-Factor #66 right now, working through #65–68 to read the whole Endgame storyline, and it's been an amazing read so far. I want to talk about Apocalypse's strategy up to this point, because the way he puts this attack together really interested me. He sends a group in to occupy X-Factor, gets into Ship's systems, and has an attempt to kidnap Christopher happening in the middle of it. There are several things going on at once, and the team has to deal with all of them. The approach in #65 is already carefully planned. The attackers come in aboard a cloaked craft that Ship doesn't detect before impact. Hard-Drive is calling out the approach and contact sequence. They deliberately crash into Ship, force their way inside, and give X-Factor an immediate fight to respond to. Cyclops and Beast confront the attackers, and Scott calls for Bobby and Warren. Jean is elsewhere with Christopher. That matters because, while the others are dealing with the group, Psynapse gets to Jean without Ship warning her. She actually asks Ship why he didn't warn her, and Psynapse tells her Ship can't detect him. So the team is already being pulled in different directions. Four of them have the fight in front of them, Jean has an attacker of her own, and the place they're relying on to help them is being compromised. The part I found especially interesting is what happens when X-Factor starts winning that fight. They take the attackers down, but then they notice the craft burrowing into Ship. Hard-Drive reports to Apocalypse that the infiltration has begun and that he's infecting Ship's cybernetic core. Ship's normal defenses are down, and his higher functions are being suppressed. That's why the distraction works so well as part of the plan. X-Factor can beat the people attacking them and still have the situation getting worse around them. While they're fighting, Apocalypse's side is getting access to Ship. The team has spent that time handling the threat they can see, and then they're faced with another one inside their own headquarters. And with the attempt to take Christopher, they have a child to protect through all of this. They're trying to stop the attackers, work out what's happening to Ship, and keep Christopher safe at the same time. Apocalypse is putting pressure on them from several directions, so dealing with one problem doesn't give them much room to breathe. That's what has stood out to me about him here. He has people doing different jobs, and those jobs support each other: keep X-Factor occupied, get into Ship, and try to take the boy while they're dealing with the attack. Seeing how those pieces fit together has made him come across as extremely strategic. I'm still reading #66 as I write this, so I'm stopping there. I haven't finished Endgame yet, but I've really enjoyed seeing how Apocalypse has gone about this attack so far.